Program Overview
Communities can manage growth most effectively when they have good information and meaningfully engage their citizens.
Get Informed
Remarkable Beyond Borders; People and Landscapes in the Crown of the Continent
A new Sonoran Institute report offers options to shape the future of the Crown of the Continent.
Donate
Kathy Borgen champions causes that help protect, care for, and nurture a love of our planet. She is also passionate about the work of the Institute
Where We Work Northern Rockies Northern Rockies Legacy Program
Northern Rockies Legacy Program
The Sonoran Institute has identified four legacy program areas in the Intermountain West, including the Northern Rockies Legacy Program. These programs are distinguished by long-term, multifaceted projects in a regional landscape which allows us to apply our full-range of expertise and conservation approaches.
Our Northern Rockies Legacy Program represents an enduring commitment to the rich resources of the Northern Rockies – its land, people, and communities. Based in Bozeman, Montana, our work is based upon the idea that communities manage growth most effectively when they have accurate, compelling information and meaningfully engage their citizens. We work with community partners to shape a better future for the region – one of healthy landscapes, vibrant economies, and livable communities.
Northern Rockies Leadership & Team
A strong team is in place to lead the Sonoran Institute’s Northern Rockies program. Diane Snyder, founder of Wallowa Resources in Oregon and past Vice President of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, is the regional director. Randy Carpenter is the associate director. John Heyneman, based in Sheridan, Wyoming, manages our Wyoming project work. This energetic team is excited to lead the organization’s work in the region.
Check out the Institute's video on the importance of open space in the Northern Rockies and the West. It addresses the loss of one of the West's most valuable assets, open space, which serves as a community's agricultural base and wildlife habitat. The video was done in partnership with Conservation Media:
Check out the Institute's video on the importance of open space in the Northern Rockies and the West. It addresses the loss of one of the West's most valuable assets, open space, which serves as a community's agricultural base and wildlife habitat. The video was done in partnership with Conservation Media.
Our Approach to Conservation in the Northern Rockies
The Northern Rockies region is home to diverse communities where ranchers brush shoulders with high-tech business owners and sportsmen mingle with conservationists. The region harbors some of the country’s most important wildland resources. Nearly all species of wildlife seen by Lewis and Clark freely roam these mountains and valleys. Icons of the National Park System – including Glacier and Yellowstone – occupy the landscape, as do vast expanses of privately-owned land supporting family ranches and farms.
People continue to move to the region for its stunning beauty and high quality of life. While this growth brought many benefits, it also created many challenges. Much of the new development occurred outside of cities and towns; for instance, in Gallatin County, Montana, population grew by 133 percent between 1970 and 2004, while the area of land developed grew by 271 percent. Poorly planned development drives up taxpayer costs for services and infrastructure, threatens the economic future of communities, and degrades rural lands.
This is a moment of opportunity. The sluggish national economy and the pause in growth gives communities time to rethink how they have grown in the past, and to shape a more sustainable future of vibrant, compact communities surrounded by working lands, wildlife habitat, and open space.
Our Vision and Goals:
To achieve this vision, we:
- Demonstrate how sound planning and development is a financially smart investment for communities and businesses.
-
Create and support a network of local organizations to advocate for sustainable community development.
-
Provide technical assistance to help communities craft and implement effective solutions to their growth challenges.
-
Help reshape the bankrupt and stalled subdivisions that resulted from the Great Recession.
-
Advocate for state policies that grant communities the authority and resources to effectively
Learn more about our challenges and opportunities in the region.
Check out our Current Initiatives
News & Updates
Planning for People & Wildlife Workshop.
On June 7th and 8th, 2011, a workshop was held at the Best Western Great Northern Hotel in Helena, Montana to provide wildlife managers, elected officials, planners, citizens, rural landowners, and the conservation community with the tools they need to effectively plan for development while protecting wildlife and their habitat, and conserving ecologically important lands. Click here for more information.
Randy Carpenter – New Associate Director, Northern Rockies Program
Diane Snyder, director of the Institute's Northern Rockies program, recently announced that Randy Carpenter, a senior planner for the Institute who is based in Bozeman, Montana, will assume the leadership position of associate director of the Northern Rockies program.
"The famous entrepreneur Ray Kroc once said,' The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves,'" says Diane. "Randy Carpenter has set the excellence standard high for himself and for all of us since joining the Sonoran Institute in 2001. In the short three-month period we've worked together, it's clear that we will make a dynamic duo as director and associate director."
Randy' new position recognizes his valuable knowledge and experience, and his seniority as a leader in the organization. "Randy's contributions, commitment, and loyalty to the organization are exceptional," added Luther Propst. "I'm so pleased with Randy's emerging partnership with Diane. We will all benefit from his greater leadership role."